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FOR TODAY – January 12th, 2010
Outside my Window….softly falling flakes upon a vast, white vista. Snow, snow…everywhere snow. 19 inches since December, 10 of those inches since January 1st. Fifteen consecutive days of snow. It’s kind of funny…the children now look out the window and say…”ah, man! It’s snowing. Again!” I think they’ve had their fill. Wonder what they’d think if they’d been on the east coast during the blizzard? They have no memory of the Storm of the Century in 1993. We received 36 inches…in south eastern Kentucky. I…was not…at home. No…I was trapped in Huntsville, Alabama at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center with 80 very scared and homesick 4th and 5th graders. Huntsville had received 20 inches of snow in that storm and there wasn’t a snow plow, salt truck or shovel in sight. We watched a hotel crew try to clear the parking lot with rakes. Now that’s desperate!
Yeah. I think we have very little to complain about. And this pristine blanket of fluff makes for a pretty view from my classroom window…
Thinking…about how odd it is that we never seem to want to do that which is easily done. That the moment the detestable chore becomes impossible to accomplish, we want it more than anything…after several days of the worst plumbing catastrophe we’ve ever experienced, I’m once again looking at dishwashing, laundry and toilet scrubbing with a whole new level of appreciation. When you can’t scrub a toilet, you want to. When you can’t wash dishes, you want to. When you can’t wash clothes (and when there soaked in raw sewage!) you really, really want to! And when you’ve complained that the propane isn’t really a very comfortable way to heat a home, and then you find that same propane furnace no longer working…well, you think propane is pretty warm after all, after a couple days of sub-freezing temperatures.
So…I’ve been happily washing. Happily laundering. Happily showering and toilet scrubbing…and cleaning everything with a much better attitude. It seems it pleases our Lord to regularly give me these little “attitude adjustments.” Trust me, for those of you who think I’m such a paragon of virtue, I can lob quite a few complaints with the best of them! Well…my grumbling is stilled for awhile as I gratefully accept the beauty of these restored modern conveniences. It’s been a tough weekend, one of changed plans and rolling with the punches. We’ve rolled…and now we’re ready to roll on…
Thankful for…plumbing. And heating. ‘Nuff said.
From the kitchen…5 loads of freshly washed dishes. Clean countertops. A mopped floor. Oh? You mean food? Oh, yeah…leftover Murphy’s Stout stew for lunch and ?? for dinner. My brain is a bit fried right now from all the cleaning, but like I said…not complaining! Dinner will be served, I just need to peruse the freezer. Turkey pie is a distinct possibility…
Faith and learning…ah, yes. We were supposed to start school yesterday, but “the best laid plans of mice and men…” you know the rest. The classroom is nearly ready, last years papers filed, supplies restocked and a new schedule is in the works. It will happen. I’m working on it, and the good Lord is working on me!
Creating…been crocheting and knitting a bit more. Have finished a few little things. And a couple of crafty items. Nuttin’ much…
Planning…school. And my post-surgery recuperation period. Trying not to stress. All will be well…
Wearing…white corduroys, turtleneck and pink cabled sweater. Socks and slippers.
Reading…listening to a few audiobooks. Lots of free stuff online…
Praying…for the Mills family. Would you join me? This homeschooling family has had a lot of adversity lately and could really use as many prayer warriors as possible. Also praying for two dear friends who are moving to IL and TN. That their transitions be effected as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Hearing…Librivox mp3 download of The Imitation of Christ. Beautifully read and totally free…
Around the house…things are a bit less cluttered but still feeling much needs to be done. Ah, to have someone come in a purge it all…I’d like to go for that uncluttered monastic look. Well, perhaps that’s a bit extreme but I’d like the eye to be “taken” by beauty, not “distracted” by clutter. I’m redefining what constitutes clutter. That which is not beautiful, which is not useful, which doesn’t bless is clutter…
One of my favorite things…flushing toilets, clean laundry and warm rooms.
Here’s a picture thought I am sharing with you…
Quickly snapped by Gareth from the dining room window. Hello Mr. Cardinal! My, you sure look handsome against that white backdrop…
Blessings,
I am a traditional Catholic homeschooling mother of 9 children, married for 30 years to the most patient and sainted man. As converts to Catholicism in 1991, our family has only recently discovered the beauty and full expression of our beliefs in the timeless liturgy of antiquity, the Extraordinary Form also commonly referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass. An avid knitter, I also enjoy gardening, reading and immersing myself in the everyday graces of my vocation.
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RE: wishing to scrub toilets, etc. reminds me…
I never understood my Mom when I was young when she would longingly tell me that she WISHED she could go outside and shovel the deep snow in the cold night. And, that she WISHED she could get up on the step-stool and wash all the blinds by hand. And, that she WISHED she could walk to the mile to grocery store in the heat.
And, she always says she even enjoyed doing all those things even before she was confined to a wheelchair. And, I think that’s why, despite being confined to a wheelchair for 25 years, she is still cheerful despite her disability. She still finds, as she has always found, joy in the simple things of life.
One would think that with an example like my mother, a saint like my mother (telling her I said that would make her very angry with me), I wouldn’t have vices that are the exact opposite of her virtues. *Sigh* Lord, have mercy on me.
So happy to hear things are on going better. The blueprints to becoming a saint are rather simple but your human weakness and nature can sure get in the way of it’s the implementation. The main thing is to never give up and to keep referring to the plans and trying to stay on track. Even, when you have a bad day, you’re still an inspiration because you teach us perseverance and help us not feel so alone. Your humility teaches us to be humble also. See how God works all for good, when even your bad days make others reflect on what is truly important. Thank you for sharing your vulnerabilities.
I love your definition of clutter. This is the mess I find myself in and it seems like an uphill battle to de-clutter the house. It’s become the norm to do this every 18 months but I REALLY want this to be the last time. It’s amazing how much stuff we can gather, over the years and how much stuff we can stuff into a storage area. I’m praying for complete detachment from things. If it’s not truly useful, it has to go. Some things are easier to let go of than others. I’m trying and hoping to live the song lyric, “It’s hard to imagine the freedom we find from the things we leave behind” The more we have the more we are burdened, so it is good to let things go…
Will add the Mills to our prayers.